subtle. He, in fact, does not deny the Holocaust entirely. D.D. Guttenplan wrote recently in The Atlantic Monthly: "Irving claims that ... Jewish vic- tims of the Nazis number in the hun- dreds of thousands, not millions. He is, as he told a BBC interviewer, 'a gas-chamber denier.' Finally, he dis- misses evidence refuting his claims as post-war fabrication." The Guttenplan article, which is largely critical of Irving, was, surpris- ingly, posted on one of Irving's Web sites. This striking willingness to acknowledge his opponents lends credibility to his positions. It suggests they can stand up to criticism and are based on reason and evidence, not bigotry. . More Effective Bigotry The Internet can be thanked for mak- ing many hate groups considerably more effective than they might have been before. By now, it's generally known that a Web page is not a mark of legitimacy. Any crackpot can sponsor one and a great many do. As it says in the ADL report, "Poisoning the Web: Hatred Online": "Bigots of all kinds recognized the Internet's power and rushed to use it to rally their supporters, preach to the unconverted and intimidate those whom they perceive as their enemies." Still, to those of us who haven't grown up with it — which includes most people — the Web still exudes an aura of wonder. The very fact of a Web site's existence lends credibility to the organization that posts it, an air of tech- nical sophistication and worldliness. This is a great boon to fringe groups craving legitimacy from the public. What's more, Internet sites often reveal very little about who's behind them. Is an organization's membership 15,000 or 150? Is the information dis- played true or false? In many cases, there's no way of knowing for sure. This can work to the advantage of bigots who make their case by distort- ing the truth. "Web development tools have- made it simple for bigots to create sites that visually resemble those of reputable organizations," reads the ADL report. "Consequently, hate groups using the Web can more easily portray themselves as legitimate voices of authority." Perusing Internet hate sites, one comes across many that take Irving's cue. The National Alliance's Web site, (www.natall.com ) for example, con- tains no overtly racist language or symbols on its homepage, instead offering users a choice of essays. Clicking on, "Who Rules America," one must read through pages of persuasive, well-written text before the answer is finally revealed: "And who are these all-powerful mas- ters of the media? As we shall see, to a very large extent they are the Jews." Even sites that do feature blatantly racist symbols and language — and there are many — are able to cover themselves in a sheen of friendliness and sensibility. On the Sigrdrifa Publication's Web site, (www.sigrdrifa.com) a racist women's site, a graphic of a swastika in an iron cross is accompa- nied by this text: "Mothers of the Movement would like to thank Louise and Ruthee for their contin- ued support and dedication to the cause." Most of us are rarely shown the human face of bigotry. But when you go to a bigot's Web site, you've entered his home territory. Maybe these people aren't so horrible after all, these Web sites suggest. The actual incidence of bigotry may or may not be increasing (a recent comment from the ADL's civil rights director says that anti- semitism in American society is declining), but the ability of bigots to make their case to the public cer- tainly is increasing. The ADL has developed a "HateFilter" that blocks access to hate group Web sites. It can be down- loaded from the ADL's web site, vvvvvv.adtorg All meat, fowl and fish I dinner entree includes 1 antipasto, soup, salad, vegetable, potato and pasta. I All pasta dinner entrees 11 come with all the above wept asta side dish. pres i=x Tres RISTORANTE „ .?';',AWV,' • ri. I1 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat 4 p.m,-11 p.m. Sun. 4 p,rn.-9 s °&I DA 1 13° 1117 1 FINE DINING RESTAURANTS Catering Services Provided For Your Special Occasion Or Company Celebration. Our Location Or Yours. Detroit Lelli's is temporarily closed. Reopening will be announce(i. Becky Lelli's of Auburn Hills 248-373-4440 ❑ Simcha with Simone Here's a listing of Irving-related Web sites: • www.fpp.co.u.k/ -- Focal Point Publications, David Irving's pub- lishing imprint • www.codoh.com/irving/ irving.html — Irving's own page on the Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust's Web site, which is: www.codoh.com/index.html • www.lebensraum.org/english/ dsmrd/dsmrd35irving.html — Irving's essay, "Did Six Million - Really Die?" is found on the Web site: www.lebensraum.org/index.html "The Simone Vitale Band is an assurance of a great evening... 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